Greek Orthodox nuns freed after being held hostage by Al-Qaeda-linked Syrian rebels arrived in Damascus on Monday morning, ending their four-month ordeal, Syrian state media reported.

Residents gave the 13 nuns a warm welcome at the Church of the Cross in the predominantly Christian neighbourhood of Qassaa, official news agency SANA reported. They were released early Monday in a rare deal between the Syrian government and rebels of the Nusra Front, mediated by the Gulf country of Qatar, traditionally a rebel supporter.

The women said they were well treated and appeared so in a video of their release issued by the Nusra Front, the group that held them. One elderly nun too weak to walk was carried by a rebel gunman, his face covered with a balaclava, to a nearby vehicle. They thanked God for their safety before heading to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Old Damascus, where they will now stay, SANA said.

About 150 imprisoned Syrian women will be released in exchange for the nuns, who along with three other women were taken from their convent in the Christian-dominated town of Maaloula during clashes in December.

The Syrian Greek Orthodox Patriarchal Assistant, Bishop Luca Al-Khoury, who led an official church reception to greet the nuns, accused the rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad of targeting Syria’s patchwork of religious minorities. Al-Khoury is a frequent defender of Assad’s rule.

“Syria, which does not differentiate between Muslims and Christians, is targeted … by the armed terrorist groups who don’t understand anything but the language of killing and destruction.”

The nuns’ seizure confirmed the fears of many in Syria’s minority Christian community that they were being targeted by extremists among rebels. Syria’s three-year conflict has become increasingly sectarian.

The country’s chaotic mix of rebel groups is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, while the minorities include Christians, Shiite Muslims and Alawites — whose sect is a Shiite offshoot. Most have sided with Assad or remained neutral, fearing for their fate should rebels take power. Assad is an Alawite.

Also Monday, the international rights group Amnesty International accused the Syrian government of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity by blockading and starving civilians in the southern Damascus neighbourhood of Yarmouk.

Amnesty said it estimates 200 people in Yarmouk have died of hunger-related illnesses since a yearlong blockade on the area was tightened in July by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Amnesty said its research showed that 128 people starved to death in a report released Monday.

Assad-loyal forces began blocking the Palestinian-dominated area to flush out rebels and to punish civilians for harbouring them, in a policy the government has used across Syria since the uprising began three years ago.

Efforts to reach a truce in Yarmouk allowing food deliveries to starving residents have repeatedly collapsed.

Toronto photojournalist Ali Moustafa, 29, was killed alongside seven other people Sunday after Syrian government aircraft dropped two explosive-laden containers in the rebel-held Hadariyeh area of Aleppo.

Moustafa’s sister, Justina Botelho, says the freelance photographer had been in Turkey in recent weeks but made his way into Syria to record the unrest in that country’s ongoing civil war.

Botelho confirmed her brother’s death after activists sent her a photograph of his corpse.

She says her brother called Toronto his home but would head time and time again to the Middle East to record injustices carried out against people there.

Botelho says he left for Egypt last September and was in Turkey for the final stretch of his trip when he suddenly decided to enter Syria to record the conflict alongside a group there.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.